Corona catastrophe in US, 7,896 die

Washington, April 4

The US recorded the worst 24-hour death toll globally since the Covid-19 pandemic began as nearly 1,500 deaths were reported between Thursday and Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker. With 1,480 deaths counted between 8:30 pm on Thursday and the same time on Friday, according to the university’s continuously updated figures, the total number of people who have died so far in the US is now 7,896.

People should cover their faces with scarves or cloth masks when they leave their homes as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic in the country, US President Donald Trump has said.

New York State remained the epicentre of Covid in US as it reported the highest number of 562 deaths in a single day. With a person dying almost every two-and-a-half minutes Governor Andrew Cuomo allowed redistribution of ventilators and protective gear to hospitals with greater need.

Coronavirus cases in the state crossed 1,00,000 as the death toll now stands at 2,935. “The curve continues to go up,” Cuomo said. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state now stands at 102,863, nearly half of all COVID-19 infections in the US, where the tally has reached 2,90,947. New York City alone has 56,289 coronavirus patients.

Cuomo also gave a grim assessment of the rising number of casualties, saying the state witnessed the “highest single increase in the number of deaths since we started.” The Governor also expressed anger over the short supply of essential medical equipment for healthcare professionals to help them deal with the surge in the cases across the state and the country.

Meanwhile, US hospitals desperate to help very sick patients with COVID-19 are trying a treatment first used in the 1890s that relies on blood plasma donated by recovered patients. People who survive an infectious disease like COVID-19 are generally left with blood containing antibodies, or proteins made by the body's immune system to fight off a virus. The blood component that carries the antibodies can be collected and given to newly infected patients - it is known as "convalescent plasma."— Agencies

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